I feel so incredibly thankful to you all! Thank you everyone – all of my awesome bookish friends, for being here with me this year, visiting me, commenting on my blog and sharing my news and posts, sharing my interest in the same books and basically, being my friends! I guess I should also thank all those amazing publishers who sent books my way, and all those authors who signed my copies, did interviews with me and all that! Thanks for making this year fun!

I know there is still a long way for me to go in making my posts more interesting and fun for you to read,coming up with more memes and linkups and generally inspiring bookish conversations, but I feel like I’ve done a lot this year! So let’s look back…

(I’m trying real hard NOT TO make some bad pun about grabbing a cup of coffee and diving into the flashbacks right now…)

My One Year Of Blogging

That’s my year! And you know how I feel about it? Good. Great, even! I’ve spent this year thinking, hey, some girls who are still in high school have bigger audiences than me – they’ll get 500 followers in 3 months? What is this magic, right??

But now when I look at this picture… Hey, I didn’t do half bad myself. I may have a nearly full-time job, and so less time for blog hopping and posting. I may not read as much YA as those popular young bloggers, so I have less people following (Don’t get me wrong though – good for them! I am impressed, not dismissive! It’s amazing and wonderful if you’re a teen and have 500 followers!) Maybe I don’t read the most popular stuff, maybe I don’t even get bookmail because I live out in the boondocks – but I have a really great audience (yes, you!) because I get so much feedback, so many awesome long comments from all of you, you’re not silent lurkers! You talk with me, you support me, you recommend me books! And there’s nearly 300 of you, through various channels! Clearly I could have done worse, right???!!! So when I look back now, I think – I’m proud of my blog. And it’s fine if it takes me another year to get to that 500 – it’s not about that. It’s about being friends with all of you wonderful people ❤️

I’m Evelina and I try to blog about books that matter, with a bit of fun there too! Disability and equality will be topics you see a lot, but there’s also a lot of scifi, fantasy and… GIFs. I’m also the proud founder of #ARCsAnonymous.

Congratulations! You run everything so well and comfortably, I honestly thought your blog had been around for more than a year. Keep up the good work! I hope mine will be in as good a shape when I hit 1 year.

Yeah, you’re right, sometimes social media does the trick 🙂 then there’s that whole thing about free wordpress blogs getting organic traffic and us having to struggle with all that technical stuff. So yeah, you are right 🙂

CONGRATS! You did so much in one year. I’ve been blogging for seven years and I haven’t done as much as you did. You should be proud of every post you have written and how much you accomplished. I’ve only found your blog last month, but I’m completely in love with it. <33 I have so much fun reading your post – always waiting for a new one.

Thank you! Seven years? Wow! That’s LOADS! I didn’t know you blogged for that long. I don’t know, sometimes I feel like it’s not enough for a year, cause I know people who do so much more. But I guess comparisons are never good for you, are they 🙂
I’m so happy you love my blog so much, thank you! This kind of stuff makes it absolutely worth it 🙂 <3 *hugs* thank you!!!

Yes, I’ve been blogging for seven years, on and off. I started blogging in Portuguese (the interaction became ver little after a few months) and two years ago I decided to blog in English to reach/meet more people. I understand what you mean and I’d like to do so much more as many bloggers do, but I’m just happy that I can write a few post with the chaotic schedule I currently have (I must confess that when it comes to time management I’m awful).

Wow, 7 years! I… I can almost not imagine that 😮 that is so impressive! I bow my head to you, blogging master 🙂 I can understand though, how blogging in another market / another language might not have good stats and a big community. It mostly just makes sense to blog in English, because then nationality doesn’t really matter. My country only has maybe 2.5 million people, so I had no illusions of blogging in my own language 😀 I knew I would need (and want) to blog in English 🙂 Time management + blogging = very difficult, yes… Read more »

Congratulations, Evelina!! The world needs more readers like you. You are the joy of life and so dedicated to reading and your love for books really shines through! The readers’ sphere is lucky to have you:)

Congratulations Evelina!! I think you did so good!! I love the “only sometimes” YA bloggers… they are the best… I guess what I’m saying is YOU ROCK! What a wonderful year you have had… with working on top of it all…!! <3 May the next year bring you much increase…

You’ve got such a great blog and turn out some amazing content. <3 Congratulations on everything you've accomplished. All of your hard work is paying off. You're going to hit those 500 followers in no time 😉

Thank you! It definitely took work 🙂 but hey, other people get 800 in a few months. It’s all relative, I guess 🙂 at least half the struggles were technical though! You’re self-hosted too, so you probably know what I’m talking about 🙂

Thank you, and nice to meet you! Very glad you stumbled upon it, and I do hope you will come and talk more often 🙂 I’ll drop by yours as well! Oh, you’ve just had your blogoversary too! Congrats 🙂 yeah, it’s like.. having a second job, pretty much. But I guess we wouldn’t be doing it if we didn’t enjoy it, right? 🙂

Thank you, Shruti! You’re right in the sense that the followers I do have are so nice, they always talk with me and always come back. So it’s in the quality, not the quantity 🙂 and I’m glad to have made friends with you too, right before I hit the one year mark 🙂 how long have you been blogging, BTW?

Oh, so you’ve been blogging longer than me 🙂 but only by a little! I can’t believe I found your blog like a month or two ago only xD I don’t think we’ll run out of things to write about 🙂 there are always new books to read, after all 🙂

I guess it’s because my presence was always limited to WordPress. I only recently joined twitter and that’s where you probably stumbled upon my blog. xD And you’re right, there’s so much to write about.

I think I actually saw a post link of yours shared by someone, maybe even on their blog 🙂 I think I only followed you on Twitter later! I don’t even know. But it was that hilarious commenter post with names and I absolutely loved it 😀

Thank you! Yeah, I’m glad we “met” for sure, I think that comment thread with you that we had a month or two ago must’ve been the longest one I’ve ever had 😀 I definitely enjoy it! Sorry if I don’t visit often enough 🙂 thank you for being my reader and my friend!

Happy Blogoversary Evelina (and now to Ebil too 😛 ). I am really glad that I found you and your blog on this blogosphere. I really like your blog and appreciate your efforts that you take for your blog. You have really done an amazing job. I wish my blog can also be successful as yours after a year 😀

Thank you, Sim 🙂 I’m really glad we “met” too! 🙂 (I say “met” :D) thank you so much for your kind words 🙂 I’m sure your blog will be even more successful! You have such a great blog theme and visuals, I absolutely love it. I only got my theme fixed like… after a half a year of blogging 😀

I’m so glad you acknowledged that people aren’t silent lurkers. Some bloggers measure success in followers. I have almost a thousand followers, but most of them are spam. Some are those “follow for follow” folks, which I don’t do. No chatting, no following for me! I keep blogging for the conversations (though that’s not why I started).

I guess I measure success in followers too, up to a point 🙂 but it definitely wouldn’t be worth it if I didn’t have those lovely friends who come and comment, and write best of comments that are a mile long 🙂 love those the best! BTW, sorry I haven’t been commenting on yours, but I had nothing to say about the last two topics, haha 😀 I do still read you though 🙂 I guess even if most of your followers are spam, the good thing is you have a high number and the publishers will be more willing… Read more »

I started Grab the Lapels after I was particularly angry about a book I read for a review for a different publication. The book was so painfully sexist, but the author had connections to the publication’s founder, so it was suggested I publish my very negative review elsewhere to keep the waters calm. At the time (2013) there was a lot of noise about women not being reviewed or reviewing even half as much as men, so I stick to women only. Also, my studies focus on small-press publishers and writers, so getting review copies isn’t hard. In fact, I… Read more »

It seems like it’s changed since 2013, hasn’t it? That’s really good. And yeah, that sounds sad about having to post it elsewhere. But I guess it worked out cause that’s how you started Grab The Lapels? It’s definitely awesome to have a theme to your blog. And it’s a worthy theme as well.
You’re absolutely right. You still need to be able to pick what to read. That’s why I love NetGalley – I’m the one that pushes the button. I choose 🙂

Basically, every holiday and every time I feel my Spidey senses tingle I buy more books. Thus, I’m mostly reading what I’ve bought when I’m not reading books from authors or publishers. Oh, and I also buy books when I go to readings. I have three creative writing degrees, and that means I was required to go to a lot of readings. Books, books, and more books!!

Huge congratulations on reaching your first year anniversary with the blog. It certainly doesn’t have a ‘new blog’ feel. And it’s a testament to you and the strong relationships that you have built that it took me AGES to scroll down the looong list of comments to get to post my own. I’ve been blogging since forever and a) it took me a LOT longer than a year to get to 200+ followers and b) the thing I’ve taken away from doing this is that it isn’t about the numbers, not really – it’s far more about the people who… Read more »

Thank you!! I am so happy with all the congratulations too, I can’t believe it’s been only a year and so many people came here to say congrats to me 🙂 thank you for being one of them! Haven’t visited you in a while though, haven’t seen you in Sunday linkups, have you not been doing them lately? Or maybe I just post mine earlier and don’t get to see you?
Awwww thank you! That is such a lovely thing to say 🙂

CONGRATULATIONS! And we love you too <3 I can totally relate to the stuff you said about not having that big an audience as compared to few others. I have been blogging for 3 months now and I can clearly see that my blog's growth rate is comparatively slower. This doesn't, however, upset me because I know that 1. I don't read the popular books and 2. I am not very regular with my blogging. Lately, I have become more engrossed in issues of real life and that means that I will have less time for the blog. Which is… Read more »

Thank you!! Well, at 3 months I doubt I had even 1 follower 😀 but it was slightly harder for me, because… First of all, two months in, my server literally died, my blog went offline, and after that? The email function was broken for three more months, AND I DIDN’T KNOW. Which means, nobody could sign up for my newsletter. Nobody got comment notifications. My blog was dead to everyone, basically… 🙁 I was devastated when I found out, and it still took a while to fix it. Gah! Second, I am self-hosted, which means, I do not get… Read more »

Congrats!!! And your stats are impressive!! Think about it, you are on more than one social media platform. And you are rocking all of them!!! I think you nailed it when you said that those long comments are really what makes this blogging business worthwhile. The real connection between readers, even if we don’t read the same books all the time.
Just taking time and letting people know they are not alone out there in the blogosphere.

Awww, Corina, thank you! Such a lovely thing to say. Well, my stats on Goodreads have been dropping, but that’s simply cause I’ve been hanging out with my blogger buddies much more than with my Goodreads buddies, so something’s gotta give 🙂 but you’re right, I do a lot of social media, and the only reason I can keep it up, I think, is because I work in marketing and it’s part of my job, so I know the efficient ways of doing it. Lucky like that 🙂 but thank you, I’m so happy you see it like that. A… Read more »

Happy Blogoversary! In one year you have managed to become one of my most favorite bloggers. I love your site. And hey, you should be really proud of yourself for getting almost 300 followers in hour first year, it took me a bit longer than that. Here’s to many more!!!

Awww Karen!!! <3 that is such a beautiful thing to say, and it warms my heart! I am so glad you love my blog. I have not been working in vain 🙂 I hope I managed to get your mood up on a stormy day at least sometimes, cause essentially, that's why I blog 🙂 to try to make reviews fun, funny and cheerful. Mostly cheerful 😀
Here's to many more indeed! I am so happy to have you as a blogger buddy 🙂

WOOHOO!!! Congrats on your blogoversary!!! This is a HUGE deal! One year old, huh? I love it. 🙂 You’ve done some great work this year. I cannot wait to see what else you have in store for us going forward. You’re right– it’s not about how many followers you have. It’s really about the connections you make. And I’m so glad you somehow found me in this wide wide world of bloggers. <3 you.

I can completely relate. Did you see my most recent discussion post, around setting and breaking goals? I am not cutting down my reading goal for this year exactly, but I am trimming down the goals I’ve set for myself. I need to respect my own needs a bit more. I have definitely been sacrificing sleep, exercise, and social time with my friends in order to blog/read. And that hasn’t been healthy for me. #Selfcare Anywho– this next year will be amazing for us both. I cannot wait to see all the magic you are going to put together! And… Read more »

Actually, I have not seen that post cause I’ve been absolutely crap at blog hopping due to work 😀 well, you know how that goes. That’s a 404, by the way, but I will find the post 🙂 The funny thing with the reading goal for me also… It’s that I don’t really need to read that much. I don’t even have that many slots on my blog anymore! I don’t have TIME or OPENINGS to post those reviews anymore. And I could do with more discussions. So less books next year it is 🙂 But! Nevertheless. It was good… Read more »

You’ve done epic! Congratulations on your blogiversary. Sometimes I wonder at the magic of people gaining so many followers but I remind myself that I mostly don’t stick to one niche and also post reviews for a lot of smaller self-published titles so that’s okay. AND I think the most important thing when it comes to blogging is the comments and audience, because the discussion is what makes a community. And you’ve done that wonderfully 😀

haha you are funny. I think you may not be as young and read ALL the hyped books but I think you are very popular dear! Happy Blogoversary! I hope you blog for many years to come since I love the books your read 🙂

OMG CONGRATS that’s so fantastic and exciting and you SHOULD be proud!!! That’s super impressive and 500 followers is insane to get to. There’s always going to be those crazy people who somehow manage to post every day/read 200 books a year and therefore end up with ~1000 followers in a year (yeah okay, I have a couple in mind), and we may never be those people, but obviously we’re all different people and that’s part of our personalities as bloggers. And our personality is what readers are here for, right? Anyway, I just wanted to congratulate you and I… Read more »

I am late here and I apologize, but HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY! It’s so, so great that you’ve been blogging for a year and feel like keeping on going. You really have a beautiful blog and I hope you’ll want to share your love for books with us for a long time 🙂 Congratulations on the followers and all that you’ve accomplished in a year. I love how you are about numbers in that post – everyone reaches “big” numbers, different kind of goals in different time frames, and it’s so important to remember that, no matter if we reach 20, 200… Read more »

Thank you for such warm congratulations 🙂 yes, I think it’s the communities and the friends that make the most of it! I can only hope I can keep all these lovely connections for at least another year 🙂

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Glad you’re visiting! I blog about books that matter – disability, equality… cake. But I also blog about fun books – scifi, fantasy, kidlit, literary, sometimes YA. A little bit of everything! I’m also the founder of #ARCsAnonymous and I host State of the ARC.

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